Spring training: Zito named opening day starter

Barry Zito was named the opening day starter by manager Bruce Bochy on Thursday. My initial thought was: Are you kidding? But after processing it for a minute, I understand the logic: Cain is our stud pitcher, but he went 7-16 last year, despite a stellar 3.64 ERA. As the No. 1 starter, he would go up against No. 1 pitchers like Arizona’s Brandon Webb and San Diego’s Jake Peavy. That and being called the staff ace is a lot of pressure for a 23-year-old. Even though Cain is a level-headed guy who took last year’s losses in stride (seven losses despite giving two runs or fewer), seeing losses mount against the NL’s top flight pitchers could be hard on the psyche.

Zito, who says he’s more relaxed this year (a good sign), is used to being No. 1. And he did pitch tremendously better the last two months of the season (4-3, 3.33 ERA in 13 starts).

Another thought: Doesn’t the rotation for every team get a bit jumbled up as the season progresses, so that the No. 1 starter ends up facing the No. 3 starter of another team? The No. 1 starters sort of face each other in the beginning of the season, and when the rotation is reset after the All-Star Break, and maybe again near the end of the season as managers play matchups during the pennant race. So if this is partly out of respect for Zito, that’s cool.

That’s my quick take. What’s yours?

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Smells like ‘Warrior Spirit’: Now that spring training has started, let’s catch up on some recent Giants news. Some readers took issue with my comment two weeks ago that it would take a miracle for the Giants to climb out of last place this year. A few of you said: Stranger things have happened. Just look at last year when Arizona and Colorado came out of nowhere?

OK, fair enough. I still think (worry) that it’s going to be a rough year for us, but you are right. You never know. And if we can’t think positively after a long baseball-less winter, and with pitchers and catchers reporting this week, then when can we? And along that vein, let’s first catch up on Giants news and accentuate the positive:

Tim Lincecum is happy to be a Giant. Noah Lowry is feeling healthy. Former first-round draft pick Jesse Foppert hopes to mount a comeback, while veteran reliever Scott Williamson hopes to show he still has his stuff.

The team is feeling chipper and say they look forward to getting one month in the desert to bond without Barry Bonds’ imposing presence. They say new leaders will emerge. That they know they will have to fight hard and do the little things to win. And to emphasize the point, they’re sporting shirts that say “Warrior Spirit” and “Find the Swagger.”

To help them find the swagger, former Giants Robb Nen, J.T. Snow and Shawon Dunston are coming to spring training next week as instructors. A few position players, notably new outfielder Aaron Rowland and two players fighting for playing time — Nate Schierholtz and Kevin Frandsen — showed up early to camp, which shows they’re hungry.

Here’s two quotes that jumped out in the past week:

At last weekend’s FanFest, Giants General Manager Brian Sabean in the Chron said he believes we can compete:

The fans even applauded when Sabean was asked if he thought the Giants realistically could compete for the National League West in 2008 and he said, “We have a lot higher expectations as an organization than the public or the press.”

And here’s a quote by Tyler Walker in SFGiants.com, who impressively used a start-up and IPO analogy when analyzing the Giants’ youngsters.

“We have the opportunity right now to have fans get emotionally invested in the younger guys. It’s like getting in on an IPO with an investment. You’re getting in early, on the ground floor,” Walker said. “In a couple of years, when Kevin Frandsen or Dan Ortmeier is an All-Star or at the forefront of Major League news, they can say, ‘I knew this guy was going to be good way back then.’ I think fans want that.”

Way to speak to Giants fans in Silicon Valley, Tyler!

Wylie Wong

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What a relief knowing barry zito will start opening day, the 5 runs he’ll give up in the first inning should make that 40 to 1 odds in vegas a 100 to 1 by the seventh inning. (perfect time to call my bookie)

Sabean, no thanks

It tells you money talks & Bochy is a boob. It follows his trend of liking older players.

thatDUDE

he better get off to a good start, theres no bonds to shield him from the media this year.

Gary D

While it’s still too early for me to begin thinking about the Giants as the Warriors continue their push forward, it’s never too early for me to bash ole Bumblin’ Boch, after watching his stubborn ways last year. The $126 million dollar man needs no coddling or psyche-boosts. He failed as a number one last year, and hasn’t even pitched one inning this pre-season to earn this right. On the other hand, if anyone needed to be rewarded for his efforts of last year, it was Cain. Once again, a backwards decision by a backwards thinking manager and organization. Welcome to Giants baseball ’08!

Scott

Zito stands a better than 50% chance of losing against the #1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 starter anyway so might as well lose against the #1. Cain on the other hand would be much better against the opponent’s #2 – #5 than Zito would be. Have to think that was a factor in Bochy’s decision besides the Giants trying to justify their wasting $126 million.

Gary D

Good point, Scott. Rightly or wrongly, though, the opening day guy is usually looked on as the leader/stud of the staff. Cain deserves that honor no matter how the games are likely to unfold.

Michael F. Weiser

Come on everybody, every team at one time or another goes hard times, the Giants just happened to have one problem that climbed over the rest and that was Mr.Bonds. Now that he’s finished draining the sprit out of the club things will get better, there’s some good pitching and if the position players get some fine tuning, things will rock on.

Luis Morales

Wisdom aside we all know they are starting him b/c of the 126 million G Washingtons they are paying him like Scott said. Don’t get wrapped around the axle on this people. It is going to be a long season. Game one is just the tip of the sword that will be embedded in our hearts. 50 years of fruitless baseball. Yahoo!

Cigar444

Cain isn’t ready or can’t handle the pressure? Are you kidding me? If that’s the case, send Cain to AAA Phoenix to grow up and bring him back when he’s ready.
Given Zito’s performance last year (His 4.53 ERA would have been much higher were it not for the two good months at the end of the season), Bochy is making a mistake naming Zito as the opening day starter. It REMOVES pressure from Zito to live up to his outrageous salary. Further, it continues to blow sunshine up his *** telling him how good he is, when the reality is he was terrible last year. That last thing Barry Zito needs is an ego boost. Bochy is making another one by naming his opening day starter before spring training really begins.
Bochy should open it up (opening day starter) and use it as an incentive to get the starters to work harder during spring training. That’s what spring training is for, right? Award it to the starter who has the best spring trainging. Most improved, hardest worker, best ERA, that sort of thing. Not just hand it over to the team money-pit whose performance last year was the worst among any regular starter on the team.
The Giant’s starting corps did a respectable job last year, with the glaring exception of Barry Zito. Zito was absolutely awful and made the front office look like fools for paying his outrageous salary (a regular occurance on ESPN). He certailnly never (NEVER) earned it.
I’m sure the Giant’s executives are enjoying the regular ego stroking they are receiving from their yes-man in the dugout. Too bad for the fans is such a bad baseball decision.
If Bochy is going to announce Barry’s position in the rotation before spring training (since Barry can handle pressure so well) he should announce Barry as the number five starter (based on last year’s performance) and put Barry on notice that the team is paying him an obscene amount of money and he better earn his keep like everyone else. Offer him the incentive to move up in the rotation commensurate with his ERA. Zito can handle pressure? There’s some pressure for you, bub.

mack

Matt Cain is the best pitcher on the Giants.
The logic behind this is nothing short of retarded: Cain outpitched Zito all year, INCLUDING the last two months, when Zito supposedly “earned” the ’08 opening day start. Bochy is signaling to the team that money and tenure are more important than performance. As long as this remains the law of the land, the Giants are not a rebuilding team.

Sabean, no thanks

Bochy loves old guys. He would start Marichal right now if he wasn’t into “cock fighting.”

thatDUDE

if your cain, would you rather start the season opener on the road or the home opener? i think the choice is easy

Barry’s first outing of the spring,,, two-thirds of a inning 8 runs seven hits consistantly hit the gun at about 85 mph… Good thing Bochy is such a visionary…
Seven more years of this crap as no one will ever take him off our hands… Sabean has got his “new Barry” to blame all his failings upon…

Todd

I think Zito deserves a shot (again) before we hate on him. Cain was the superior starter last year, and obviously has the higher ceiling as an ace, but Zito is being paced the ace money. Give him a shot, I think he will return to the star he was on the A’s. I’m certainly not saying that he deserves the money he is being paid, I just think he deserves to have a clean start to begin the year.
Let’s start the season with three superstar pitchers at the top of the rotation, in order of Major League experience.

Don H.

Todd, what have you been smoking? Is your name really Todd or is it perhaps Sabean. Or are you related?

Zito has yet to strikeout one batter in spring training. Not one! Walks are spiking because he does not want to catch a piece of the plate with a 85 mph “fastball”. Batters can watch for the curve and adjust to the “fastball”. It’s suppose to be the opposite Todd.

A soft tossing lefty must have sink on all pitches to survive as a #4 or #5 starter in the bigs. Ooops, S.F., we have a problem.

And what do you mean by “..three superstar pitchers..” Do you classify this staff as having superstars? Like Beckett, Verlander, Santana, etc.